According to the New York Post, a special meal in honor of Black History Month at NBC’s cafeteria in New York has come under fire after a spread featuring fried chicken, collard greens and black-eyed peas was served—though the African-American chef who planned it says she doesn’t understand the outrage.
The controversy began when Questlove, the drummer for Jimmy Fallon’s house band the Roots, posted a photo of the menu on Twitter, on which he has some 1.2 million followers.
“Questlove, who I serve every day and who enjoys my food, requested the neck bone [cooked in] the black-eyed peas and fried chicken, then got off the line, saying, ‘This is racist,’ ” said the chef, Leslie Calhoun.”The next thing you know, people were taking pictures of the sign and asking all the other black people in the cafeteria if this was racist. They said that it wasn’t.”
NBC responded via its official corporate communications Twitter with the following statement: “The sign in the NBCU cafeteria has been removed. We apologize for anyone who was offended by it.”
UPDATE: Questlove tells Popeater that he didn’t mean to stir up controversy online: “It was a joke taken too far. I’ll be packing a lunch for the next two years.”
Have you seen the interview with the cafeteria worker (a black woman) who spearheaded the idea? She really just wanted to offer a few dishes traditionally enjoyed by African Americans and celebrate their wonderful flavors with the people working at NBC. The whole thing just got blown out of proportion.
Fried chicken, collard greens, and black-eyed peas is great food and a great choice to celebrate African American cooking? How is that racist? Just talking about it makes me hungry! Blown way out of proportion by all the PC idiots – leading the charge is Sarah Palin going after Rahm E. for his “f’in retarded” comment…
What’s the big deal? i live in Alabama and both blacks and white njoy a meal like this all the time. Enjoy and embrace it like we all do! Delcicious. It happens every day, folks!
I am African American, West Indian, with a little Scottish, Irish, and Native American thrown in. That meal was not an African American meal, it was a meal that a lot of people, black and white enjoy down south.
There are tremendous isues regarding race in this country, but cuisine is not and should not be one of them. Just watch the Food Network Channel with Paula Deen. I have seen her prepare everything that was on NBC’s cafeteria menu.
Yes Bonnie, that is a great meal, and on St. Patrick’s Day, I will have my cabbage, corn beef and green beer.
So African Americans can’t like fried chicken anymore or they will be seen as racist?
You said it, Shammy. My head is spinning from trying to figure that one out.
No, the implication is that if you assume black people like those things, then that assumption makes you racist. Nothing in this story suggests that liking those things makes you racist. Shamrock and Oh the Fe-y need to read more carefully.
So I know black people who like fried chicken. How is it racist if it’s true?
My office which is made up mostly of African American’s does this same meal (or similar) every year for Black History Month. I think sometimes people think they are so forward thinking that they actually go backward and become a complete a complete tight a$$. That was directed at the person saying this is racist.
Same with me. The African Americans I work with actually look forward to it and always request they serve this type of food more often.
It is African American cooking, and really good too (when done right)!
I am in the process of planning our office party with the same type soulful dishes. I was thinking about passing out menus from some the best soul cookin around. The only insult about our cultural meals we love is that it is a crime we can not eat it all the time. American needs to take a step back on all that prevents personal growth and unity.
No more Corn Beef and Cabbage on St Patty’s Day!!!!!
To make your argument valid you need to name the country that serves this “black” dish.
The United States of America serves that “black” dish.
And I totally agree with Matthew. No one bats an eyelash about corned beef and cabbage and green beer on St Patty’s.
No more Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo…
Maybe we should stop labeling food altogether as to not to offend anyone? I know I get offended when a Mexican restaurant serves fajitas or an Italian restaurant serves pasta. The nerve of some people!
funny, fajitas aren’t really Mexican.
Tacos then.
?uestlove effed up by being oversensitive. That’s all there is to this story. There is nothing wrong with serving that traditional meal in honor of Black History Month. My guess is that he regrets starting this whole thing. And NBC only took it down out of overcaution. They’re not confirming any racism.
?uest never said a word. She’s making an assumption based on how blown out this has become.
That sounds delicious. I wish my office had a Black History Month lunch.
I know, right? Yum.
First NBC fires Conan, the whitest guy on Earth, and now this! They must be related, just not sure how.
Seriously, my pet theory is that no one is actually offended by stuff like this. There are only people who think they’re SUPPOSED to be offended, so they act like they are. These people tend to enjoy drawing attention to themselves.
This is the same lunch we always had in school to celebrate Black History Month. It was the only time everyone in school had lunch in the cafeteria!
Full disclaimer: I’m white (so perhaps don’t have the perspective to judge on this anyway ), and I’m usually pretty “PC” (so I probably would be opposed to this if I thought a group was being treated insensitively based on race). But I have to admit that this uproar seems silly to me. You could find these food on almost any Soul Food menu in the country. Last year, when my office had a Black History Month celebration, food like this was served. It’s just another type of cuisine. Actually NOT embracing it seems kinda wrong.
People are so stupid… seriously. it’s food, grow up!
I’m not surprised there was an uproar over it, not that I agree with anyone taking offense. Any time something is done in a corporate or political environment that anyone sees as racial stereotyping, people get pissy.
The funny thing is the people getting upset are usually not the people who are “targeted” by the stereotype.
This is nuts. It’s food. This chef went out of her way to make this great meal and this is the thanks she gets? Ridiculous!!!
I wish my company would have bagels and matzo ball soup on Rosh Hashanah, but would that be Anti-Semitic? I must be a self-loathing Jew.
Apparently this means no Spaghetti on Italian night, no tacos for Cinquo De Mayo and the end of corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day. Could it get any more ridiculous? I suppose so….no more fish frys on Friday.